Thread-twister.



F. W. MEYER. THREAD TWISTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1914.

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FREDRICK W. MEYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

THREAD-TVTISTEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Application filed May 28, 1914. Serial No. 841,441.

It is Well known to those skilled in theart to which this invention pertains, that garment workers, when sewing buttons on garments, employ a double length of linen or cotton thread, the two strands of which are twisted together to increase its strength. As a general practice this twisting operation, h retofore, has been done by hand because no practical and simple tool has been produced for accomplishing the desired result.

This invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth 7 and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a thread twister embodying a simple form of the invention and Fig. 2 is a front view thereof looking in the direction of the arrow 2, in Fig. 1. I

in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing, 10, designates a base preferably of cast metal, formed with two upwardly projecting standards 11, 11 spaced apart as shown in Fig. 2, and each formed with bearing apertures 12, 13 in which are mounted shafts 14, 15. In the present instance the shaft 14, is rigidly secured in the apertures 12, of the standards 11, 11 as, for instance, by a set screw 16, threaded in the standard 11 and bearing against the shaft 14. Rotatively mounted upon said shaft 14, is a round plate or dlsk 17, having a hub 17 encircling the shaft 14, and said disk is provided with a handle 18, whereby said disk may be turned or rocked back and forth upon its shaft. Segmental rack teeth 19, are provided upon said disk, along a portion of its periphery, and said teeth may be out directly upon the periphery if so desired. At each end of the segmental rack the periphery of the dlsk 1s notched as at 20, 20*, to permit independent rotation of a gear pinion as will appear hereinafter. iwo pins 21, 22, are secured in said disk and project from one face there of, said pins being arranged to strike against the standard 11, to limit the arc of travel of the disk.

The twister shaft 15, is journaled in the bearing apertures 13, in the standards 11, 11, and has secured thereto a balance wheel 23, and a gear pinion 24. The balance Wheel, its hub and the gear pinion may extend from one standard to the other and prevent endwise movement of the shaft 15. Normally the pinion extends partly into either one of the notches 20, 20 of the disk 17 and is free to turn therein, but the segmental rack 19, may be brought into mesh therewith by turning the disk upon its shaft. The end portions of the twister shaft 15,project beyond the sides of the standard as at 24, 24 and hooks 25, 26, are secured in the ends of said shaft upon which hooks may be secured the strands of thread (a) which are to be twisted together.

In using this tool the operative first threads his needle with a double length of thread, ties the two ends together, and waxes the thread in the usual manner; the knotted end of the two strands is then slipped upon one of the hooks 25, 26, (for instance the one lettered 25) and while he holds the other end of the thread in one hand, he takes hold of the handle 18, with the other, and with a rapid movement turns the disk 17, on its shaft until the pin 22 strikes against the standard. The gear pinion, balance wheel and twister shaft are thereby set in motion and because of the ratio of the gears, the twister shaft 15 is rotated at a very high rate of speed, the balance wheel continuing for some time after the disk has come to rest, to revolve the shaft 15, and therewith to twist together the two strands of thread, the gear pinion turning freely in the notch adjacent the end of the segmental rack. If the momentum of the balance wheel is spent before the thread is twisted suihciently to satisfy the requirements, the operative may slowly turn the disk back, thus slowly rotating the shaft 15, in the reverse direction without untwisti'ng the thread to any appreciable extent; after which he may again swing the disk 17, back in the original direction, thus further twisting together the two strands of thread. The thread is thereafter unhooked from the handle whenever the thread is hooked on the hook, 25, and for twisting linen thread the disk is turned in the opposite direction.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit of this invention. I desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the invention shown and described, except as may be necessitated by the state of the art and as defined in the follow ing claims. 7

I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A thread twister comprising a base, two standards projecting therefrom, a twister shaft journaled in said standards and having a hook at one end, a balance wheel, and a gear pinion fast on said shaft, a disk rotatably mounted on said standards and having a segmental rack, normally out of mesh with said pinion but capable of 1 meshing therewith, when the disk is turned twister shaft journaled in said standards, v

on its axis, stops for limiting the movement of said disk and a handle projecting from said disk.

2. A thread twister, comprising a base, two standards projecting therefrom, a

and having a hook at one end, a balance wheel and gear pinion fast on said twister shaft, a second shaft mounted in said standards, a disk rotatively mounted on said second shaft, and having a segmental rack on its periphery capable of meshing with said pinion, said disk having also two notches in its periphery adjacent to the ends of said segmental rack, for the gear pinion to turn freely therein, pins arranged to strike said standards and thereby locate the disk with one of its notches in position to receive the pinion and a handle projecting from said disk.

3. A thread twister comprising a base, two standards projecting therefrom, a twister shaft journaled in said standards and having a hook at one end, a balance wheel and gear pinion fast on said twister shaft, a second shaft secured in said standards, a disk rotatively mounted on said second shaft, said disk having two notches in its periphery and a segmental rack extending from one notch to the other, two pins secured to and projecting from said disk and arranged to strike against one standard andthereby locate a notch in position to receive the gear pinion and permit its free rotation, and an operating handle secured to said disk.

FREDRICK W. MEYER. Witnesses:

J osnrrr Lnnsn, CHARLES O. SHERVEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

' Washington, D. G. 

